JapanAxe

[quote name='BetaFunk' timestamp='1386606542' post='2302074'] Compared with more modern basses the Musicmaster may not be great... [/quote] And there it is. I think the Mustang [i]is[/i] great, at least among short scale basses.

Tenacious D - 'F*** Her Gently'

The more I think about this, the more I think the PS Mustang is the bass I really want, and all I am doing with the Musicmaster is imagining how I can turn it into a substitute for the Mustang, but with a bit of near-vintage mojo! Also it seems the original Musicmaster finishes were black (most common) or white, or more rarely 'surf' red or blue. The Bass direct one therefore appears to be a refin, which immediately reduces its desirability and the reasonableness of the asking price. Although some of the Mms (as opposed to MMs) on YooToob sound nice, that means nothing. (I refer you to the Pro Guitar Shop demos, where absolutely every item they demo is mad to sound wonderful.) Whatever I did to the pickup, it is never going to match the one in the PSM. I found [url="http://www.stewmac.com/tsarchive/ts0172.html"]this interesting article[/url] about someone making a pickup to overcome the deficiencies of the original [i]guitar [/i]pickup. So for that reason I'm out - out on a GAS-indulging road trip at the weekend with one of my mates in tow as a second pair of ears.

[url="http://www.allparts.uk.com/collections/saddles-for-bass/products/wilkinson-swivel-bass-bridge-barrels-2-brass"]Wilkinson swivel brass saddles[/url] located but at a price!

Been doing a bit of research on the Musicmaster. The pickup looks to be a Strat pickup, as on the Bronco, so if hum was a real problem then a hum-cancelling Strat pickup would fix it. I'm actually more concerned about the intonation on the 2-saddle bridge. Of course I could just try it out and plug it into my Korg Pitchblack. I feel a plan coming on...

I've never bust a bass string, and only once broke an electric guitar string (at a rehearsal). I have had a couple of guitars fail mid-rehearsal - one a bad solder joint came undone; the other the pickup selector switch died. IMO the most likely failure mode is for the electronics to die, so both my active basses have a passive mode. I always take two electric guitars to a gig, but have generally winged (wung?) it with one bass. The requirement for a 'spare' is my justification for the GAS referred to below.

[quote name='Count Bassy' timestamp='1386537339' post='2301274'] I've just seen that, even in a cheap machine, 1 Litre of "snow fluid" only gives about 7 minutes of snow [/quote] 'Snow fluid'... Isn't that called water?

[quote name='yorks5stringer' timestamp='1386519394' post='2300946'] I had a Truvoice back in the late 70's that was the same inside a different cabinet: got rid of it for a nice new solid state head! [/quote] Very sensible!

[quote name='EssentialTension' timestamp='1386535824' post='2301242'] All other things being equal, I'd buy the Musicmaster. [/quote] Ah but they're not equal! The Mustang has a big feck-off humbucker; the Musicmaster will hold its value better. Hmm...

[quote name='ikay' timestamp='1386528581' post='2301112'] Here you go ... [url="http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Fender-Mustang-Bass-Guitar-Natural-Finish-/331078377461?"]http://www.ebay.co.u...-/331078377461?[/url] Often thought about getting one of these, might take a punt myself! [/quote] Blimey, I looked earlier and didn't see this. EDIT: Had a closer look and I completely don't like what I see. I particularly loathe the finish, which I expect was achieved by removing the original paintwork. I think I'm sticking with the PSM idea, but I can't rule out a trip to Bass Direct. I'll probably come back with a Dingwall 5-er (nearly did last time).

[quote name='hairyhatman' timestamp='1386533128' post='2301191'] Thanks people. Don't know why but I just don't trust the re-chargeables. Could be wrong but someone told me they don't take the same charge as a Duracell. LED looks like a good option though. I just need to figure out where to position it so I can spot when its dying. (Maybe some ingenious hat arrangement!). I'll let you know how I get on. Appreciate the advice peeps. Al [/quote] You need to check three things when buying rechargeables: (1) Voltage - you want 9.6V nominal. Some rechargeable PP3s used to run as low as 7.2V nominal. (2) Capacity in mAh - go for the highest you can find. (3) Formulation - NiCd cells tend to fade if left unused. Go for NiMH, preferably the hybrid sort that come ready-charged.

[quote name='bertbass' timestamp='1386523063' post='2301008'] I'm not a great fan of short scale basses myself but if it was me, I'd get the genuine Fender Mustang. Having heard a few, they don't sound at all bad with the original pickup. [/quote] I'd have to find one first! The one in Bass Direct is a Musicmaster

As you will see from my signature, I currently have GAS for a Pawn Shop Mustang: I have a try-and-buy trip planned for next Sunday (15th) a few days ahead of my actual birthday, but I have just stumbled on [url="http://www.bassdirect.co.uk/bass_guitar_specialists/Fender_1978_Musicmaster_bass.html"]this at Bass Direct[/url]: It is a similar price to a new PSM, but 1978 - that makes it almost vintage in my book. To me it is undeniably sexy - and no go-faster stripes! On the other hand, could I live with a single coil? Or would it be possible to do an invisible mod with a stacked or rail-type Strat pickup? And could I live with that bridge? And is there even a four-saddle version in existence with the same screw mounting positions? Or should I look out for a [i]real[/i] modded Mustang from back in the day? AAARGH! Please someone buy this bass and put me out of my misery! Otherwise I'll have to take a half-day and drive over to give it a go, and then I might fall in love with it but still wish I could have the PSM. [size=3][font=courier new,courier,monospace][b]NOTE[/b]: I am not affiliated in any way with Bass Direct. Or Fender for that matter. Just saying.[/font][/size]

Hohner headless guitars/basses used to come in that finish too.

Spoke to a friend who is a materials scientist specialising in polymers. The blackening of the insulation on the mains switch terminals could be PVC breakdown, where the plasticiser separates out (visible as little globules in this picture). If overheating had been the problem, the switch body itself would most likely have become discoloured. Good news then. Also just discovered what a pair of working Mullard EL34 valves go for on eBay - more than I paid for the amp!

Can't work out how she's managing to damp the lower strings. But yes, very impressive.

[quote name='iconic' timestamp='1386363836' post='2299436'] The blues scale sounds great too and as the above said more bluesy 'n less good ole boy....but still like to know why playing a minor over a major works so well...if that makes sense? [/quote] Most of the blues scale can be thought of as 'borrowed' from the parallel minor. A lot of rock is based on that concept.

You've put the volume control after the pre-amp, whereas the instructions have the pre-amp output going straight to the output jack.

Nah, gotta be this one:

[quote name='LukeFRC' timestamp='1386357399' post='2299329'] sandberg [/quote] Beat me to it. Sandberg's 'Hardcore Aged' finish is pretty savage, but you pay a premium for it. Point your browser [url="http://www.configurator.sandberg-guitars.de/"]here[/url] and start configurating!

Just don't pack lumps of marzipan wrapped in clingfilm and you should be fine!

Sadly I think the days of tiny high-capacity hard-drive music players (well, that'd be the iPod Classic) are numbered, as people move over to streaming music from that Cloud thingy. Pity, as I don't want my on-the-move listening to be dependent on a decent phone connection, and then be paying for bandwidth to listen to music I've already bought!

Nothing wrong with playing major scale notes to a 12-bar, but it will come out sounding a bit country.